Beet-topper.



Ila-764,423. I PATENTB-D JULY 5, 1904.

J. M. UARAWAY.

BEET TOPPER. APPLICATION TILED SEPT. 14. 1993.

H0 MODEL.

IIIIIL A TTORNE YS UNITED STATES Patented July 5, 1904:.

PATENT OFFICE.

BE ET-TOPPER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 764,423, dated July 5, 1904:.

Application filed September 14, 1903- Serial No. 173,140. (No model.)

1'0 at] whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, JAMES MADISON OAR/\- WAY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Longmont, in the county of Boulder and State of Colorado, have made certain new and useful Improvements in Beet-Toppers, of which the following is a specification.

My invention is an improvement in the class of apparatus or machines adapted for removing the tops from harvested beets.

A distinguishing feature of the invention is the provision of an endless horizontal traveling belt provided with aspring-eoil for holding the beets while being topped and an oscillating knife or cutter. which is adapted to make a draw out and is operated by the same means as the belt, as hereinafter set forth.

The details of invention will be understood from the following description and the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is an elevation of the rear side of my improved apparatus. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the same. Fig. 3 is an end View. Fig. 4 is a longitudinal section on the line 41 1 of Fig. 2. Fig. 5 is a detail section of the endless traveling beltwith its spring-coil attachment. Fig. 6 is a side view illustrating the operation of the knife or cutter.

The working parts of the apparatus are attached to and supported by a frame 1, supported on runners 2. Upon the frame 1 is supported theplatform Sand on the runners the platform 4. (See Fig. 2.) Two vertical standards 5 support a broad bar or timber 6, which is arranged horizontally. At the ends of the said bar 6 are journaled rollers 7 and 8, the latter having a shaft 9, which is provided with two cranks 10 and 11, for the purpose presently stated. A broad belt 12 runs on the aforesaid pulleys 7 and 8 and is provided with device 13for spacing and holding the beets while being topped. The same consists of a spiral coil of spring-wire whose convolutions or turns are secured to the belt by means of a strip of leather or wire 14. The knife or cutter 15 is a straight-edge blade arranged parallel to the outer side of the bar 6 and journaled slidably on a pivot 16, that projects laterally from said bar. The knife is provided with a lengthwise slot 17 to receive the said pivot, and it is'connected with the crank 11 of the shaft 9.

The operation of the parts so far described is as follows: An operator stands upon the platform 3 and turns the crank 10 of shaft 9, whereby the pulley 8 is rotated and the belt 12 caused to travel in direction of the arrow, Fig. 2. Another operator, standing upon the smallerand lower platform 4, places the beets upon thebelt 12 in a position transverse of the same and parallel to each other, so that the tops overhang the outside of the belt. The smaller ends of the beets are laid between the convolutions of the spring-coil 13 and are thus spaced apart and in most cases held or compressed so they retain their due position while passing under the knife. The latteris oscillated and also reciproeated so that it makes a draw cut. It will be further seen that it acts against the side or edge of the bar 6 in such manner that the latter forms a straight-edge or practically an opposing-shearblade. It will be further seen that since the knife is retracted or drawn to the right, as in Figs. 1 and 6, after making its out it thereby passes out of the Way of the untopped beets, which are still advancing on the belt, and when the knife is ready to descend again the beets have been carried up to it, so that a new line of untopped beets lies directly below the knife. As shown in Figs. 1 and 5, the convolutions of the spring 13 are necessarily separated more widely while passing around the pulleys 7 and 8. This enables beets to be placed between the convolutions at the lefthand end of the apparatus, Figs. 1 and 2,

and in the case of the larger beets their ends will be clamped and hold while being topped, but will be released upon reaching the righthand end of the apparatus, where they discharge into a lateral chute 18.

The beets to be topped are preferably deposited in a box or tray 19, arranged at the left-hand end of the apparatus. This box is supported by a broad bar 20, which is held slidably in a keeper 21, attached to the framepieee 2. The box is brought out when required for use, so as to clear the spring-coil 13. When the apparatus is not in use, the

box is pushed back as far as practicable beneath the belt. It will be noted that the box 19 is in close proximity to the small platform 4, so that the operator may conveniently remove beets therefrom to the belt 12.

The base portions 1 of the frame of the apparatus are, in effect, skids or runners, which are beveled or sloped at one end, as shown, so that the apparatus may be conveniently hauled from one point to another in the field, where the beets are collected in piles.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The improved beet-topper comprising a suitable frame, an endless traveling belt and pulleys upon which it is mounted, a knife provided with a lengthwise slot and pivoted through said slot parallel to and near one side of the belt, and means for operating the belt and knife simultaneously, whereby the latter is caused to make adraw cut, substantially as described.

2. The improved beet-topper comprising a suitable frame, an endless traveling belt and pulleys upon which it runs, a knife having a longitudinal slot and pivoted to the frame parallel and near to one side of the belt, a crankshaft which operates one of the said pulleys and is connected with and also operates the knife in the manner shown and described.

3. The'improved beet-topper, comprisinga suitable frame, pulleys mounted therein, an endless traveling belt arranged on the latter,

and a spiral spring-coil secured to the belt for use in spacing and holding the beets while being topped, and a suitable knife for severing the tops, substantially as described.

4. The improved beet-topper comprising a suitable horizontal frame, pulleys mounted thereon, and an endless traveling belt which runs on said pulleys, a spiral spring-coll whose convolutions are secured to the belt and northe ends of the frame, an endless belt travel- 5 0 ing on said pulleys, a device attached to the belt and extending longitudinally thereof and arranged adjacent to the edge of the same, whereby it is adapted for holding the tips of beets while their larger portions or headsare supported upon the contiguous plane surface of the belt, and a cutter for severing the tops of the beets, the same being located contiguous to the edge of the belt which is farthest from the aforesaid device for holding the tops of the beets.

JAMES MADISON OARAW'AY.

Witnesses:

JAM is A. CLYDE, WILLIAM D. WILKERSON. 

